Dave Doeren is trying to keep his team’s fans fired up, despite its struggles this season

It was just over a year ago, on Dec. 2, 2012, that Dave Doeren was introduced as N.C. State’s new football coach. He arrived from Northern Illinois with high hopes, a sterling 23-4 record and the promise of energizing a program and a fan base that had grown stagnant under the previous regime of former coach Tom O’Brien.

Clearly, things didn’t turn out the way anybody planned during Doeren’s first season on the job.

The Wolfpack won only three games and went winless in the ACC for the first time since 1959. What’s worse, it barely put up a fight in its final two games – both at home – against East Carolina and Maryland.

Dave Doeren and athletic director Debbie Yow on Dec. 2, 2012

With his team relegated to the sidelines while neighboring rivals Duke and North Carolina prepare for bowl games and Wake Forest experiences the rush of optimism traditionally associated with the hiring of a new coach, Doeren felt compelled to send out an open letter to his team’s wavering fans to reassure them that things aren’t really as bad as State’s 3-9 (0-8) record might suggest.

It’s a tough sell, to be sure. But it’s not entirely inaccurate.

Consider that Doeren inherited a program poised to take a step backward regardless of who was coaching, thanks to a roster loaded with inexperience at most key positions. No fewer than 11 true freshmen played major roles on this year’s team.

There were also a rash of injuries and the obligatory difficulties associated with adjusting to a radically new system.

But even with all that, the perception of the Wolfpack heading into Year 2 under Doeren could have been much different and significantly more positive had it been able to find a serviceable quarterback to run its offense.

Although senior transfer Brandon Mitchell and junior Pete Thomas gave it their best shot, neither was able to get the job done – especially in situations where their play could have made the difference between a close loss and a season-saving victory.

Quarterback Brandon Mitchell battled injury and inconsistency all season

Against Duke, for instance, State trailed by only four with 3½ minutes to go. But instead of having one of its quarterbacks lead a clutch, game-winning drive, each threw an interception for touchdown on consecutive plays to end any chance of a comeback.

The Wolfpack squandered another opportunity a few weeks earlier when it jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead on UNC, but failed to build on the momentum by settling for field goals instead of touchdowns on four trips into the red zone.

Doeren, to his credit, chose not to throw either Mitchell or Thomas under the proverbial bus in his letter this week. But he did make it a point to mention that among the 20 players he redshirted this season was “a quarterback who was ranked as the third-best in the nation coming out of high school and who transferred here last spring.”

That’s a lot of pressure to put on a player that has yet to take a snap in a game for the Wolfpack. But if Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett comes even close to living up to his advance reputation, a return to bowl eligibility as early as next season is a realistic goal.

Brissett

Brissett’s skill set is much more suited to running Doeren’s hybrid spread attack than either of this year’s quarterbacks. He will also have the benefit of a veteran line in front of him and a young corps of receivers that figures to take a significant step forward because of the on-the-job training they received while being thrown into action too soon this year. The same can be said for youngsters on the other side of the ball, including cornerback Jack Tocho and defensive tackle Monty Nelson.

While deepening the talent pool is an obvious priority, a problem Doeren said he’s already addressed by assembling a recruiting class ranked among the top 30 nationally, he also took himself to task by promising to reevaluate every part of his program. That includes “offensive and defensive schemes, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and practice routines to best ensure we make the necessary adjustments to help us be much improved next season.”

The good news for Doeren and his Wolfpack is that they don’t have to do much to accomplish that goal. And they’re not as far away as their 2013 record makes it seem.